Blind nut retaining device



April 1953 H. J. MURPHY 2,635,667

BLIND NUT RETAINING DEVICE Filed Aug. 9, 1950 INQENToR: HOWARD J. MURPHY, BYY M/Z'm AGENT.

Patented Apr. 21, 1953 2 63566 7 BLIND ,NUT BETAINING DEVICE ,Hww'd Murphy Lynnfifik Mas? as i n r $9 This inve tmn relates generally to fastening devices, and has particular 'reife'rqene e td' a' Q'aQge member for a, gagged.lfu'it fastening'device.

Theobje'ct' qf theii'rivention is to 'prq'v'ide a cage member fer a' cag' edflnutfas'tening device wliiqh .is' adapt d f r blind .etssembly moan Open n r asuppbrting'pariel;

A further pbjeqt the inventiqn 15 t proyide a ca e mber of thi 'jtyzewh c is da ed t be passed through an ppening in a panel from t 'fmn de hex b ie' 'e ve @n fe a n jastening detiqe on the r ea si de Qf the 1321 9 A" sti11 fu rther qbgeet'ef'theiiiventionis'tq 11oide a c agefor 3 Ca ed hut falstenihg device which s adapte t meiv and e a nia f s e mm iber'fih fil i a he {Calgfi S'3 mb i (sup o tin pa el t r ugh fi n i 'the f "'Otherfqbjts" of the inventiqri, will, in part, be 'QbViOu S; and will, in part; appear hereinafter. n m p io qen n a p a i Se a N mh 'l A B led M 1 1? 3 19 11 h f i i5 n a, nut cage cnstruetloii designed to have a, gut or equivalent fastening element preliminarily i111 tro'duc d he ein ricr to as em of e nu a e i a 'lfi fl n ning he Pres t 'i'e iti'liz es fcer'tain 'sti'iz ctflrgl "feature1s"thje 11eb in Conjunction with an' im'proyed structural a em ntde n d to intr u i n 9 2 astfir mg elementafter gssemblyip a panel ppeningl In the drawing:

Fi 1 a n rs e y Vie of a pa e membe Fig; 4 is a view in elevatipn ill u stra ting the firsts'tep in the assembly Of the cage m m er i fitp a bp g n? pine-1:. v. e t.

Fig." 5 is a'vi'ew elevation il-hpstrgtigg second'step in theassembl'ybpjefatign'; Fig. 6 is View in'elevatipn or the page member completely assembled i ntdthb Fi'g'I 7 1:56 We -InielfevatlYqf1 11; tfiating the method 'f assembling @fiuflm the' Fig. 8 is a View in 'lewktibiftifthe f z n I W 1 M V i 1$ a t'tm an Yi o he aembly o Figs; v7 .t A W F 10 i a ie in elevat m Pa -fib in sec on ii t e ca d 11 FS mW 1 7 iod i a ch n an a ti -1 t 9 Re n 9. the a in the??? llus eww a pa e memb Q 9 f 1$ a ek 'q ,semble i tq an 9.2 2426 1? 1 2' E zm qxt 1'. Th resili fri'itfa 15 the free end 46 of the resilient member passes behind the adjacent edge 52 of the panel. The cage is then moved in the opening until the edge 52 of the panel contacts the overhanging portion 36 of the base, and the cage is then tipped toward the base so that the connecting side 25 in which the spacingarm is maintained passes behind the adjacent edge 54 of the panel (see Fig. 5). As this movement occurs, the free end 45 of the resilient member contacts the rear face 55 of the panel and springs slightly outwardly, and further tipping movement of the cage in this manner causes the spacing arm 24 to pass over the edge 54 and snap behind the panel so that the feet 32 bear against the outer face 34 of the panel (see Fig. 6). It should be noted that after assembly of the cage, it is not essential that the panel be gripped between the feet 32 in the outer side and the spacing arm 24 and the resilient member 28 in the inner side, since these parts of the device may be spaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of the particular panel illustrated to enable the cage to accommodate thicker panels if necessary.

After the cage is assembled in the opening, the nut may be assembled into the cage in the manner illustrated in Fig. '7. One edge 58 of the nut is inserted into the opening l2 so as to pass between the legs 20, and contact the free end 46 of the resilient member 28. As the nut is forced further into the opening, the free end 46 springs outwardly and allows opposite edge 56 of the nut to pass the adjacent edge 54 of the panel. The nut is then gripped between the free end 46 of the resilient' member and the spacing arm 24, and retained in' position to receive the bolt 50 toenable an article such as another panel 60 to be attached to the panel [4. It should be further noted that after assembly of the cage, legs 2%, due to their length, .cause the base to position an inserted nut in adjacent substantially parallel relation with the inner side of the panel. Such arrangement differs from that in my prior application Serial No. 147,468, wherein corresponding base and a nut introduced with 1 the cage are located relatively remote from the panel, and the nut is subsequently drawn down away from the base into proximate relation with the panel after a bolt is inserted in the nut.

If it is desired to disassemble the article 55 from the panel, the bolt may be removed from the nut, and the cage will retain the nutin position to prevent it from falling into an inaccessible position behind the panel. Although in the illustrated embodiment the nut is square, a suitable cage embodying the features of the invention may be constructed to accommodate nuts of any desired shape. The cage may be cheaply and rapidly formed from a single piece of sheet metal on automatic machines. 7

Since certain other obvious modifications may be made in the device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all the outer side of the panel, an arm extending downwardly from an edge of the base connecting said opposite sides to a free end and adapted to be located behind the inner side of the panel, and a resilient arm on the edge of the base opposite said connecting edge, said resilient arm extending beyond the plane of the base to a free end portion, said panel-engaging means being inset from both said resilient arm and said first arm, said legs being inset from said resilient arm and from the free end of said first arm and conneoting with said base in off-center relation so as to provide an overhang between said legs and said resilient arm adapting said resilient arm to be hooked through the opening and adapting said base, said legs and said first arm to be passed through the opening, and said legs being of a length to cause the base to position an inserted nut member in adjacent spaced substantially parallelrelation with the inner, side of the panel when said panel-engaging means bear against the outer side of the panel, said free end portion of said resilient arm being disposed in spaced opposing relation with the first arm and being cooperative therewith to receive and grip therebetween a nut member inserted through the panel opening.

2. A cage member for assembly through an opening in a supporting panel from the outer side thereof and for receiving and retaining behind the inner side of the panel a nut member thereafter inserted through the opening from the outer side of the panel, said cage member comprising a base, a pair of legs extending downwardly from opposite sides of the base, panelengaging means on said legs for bearing against the outer side of the panel, an arm extending downwardly from an edge of the base connecting said opposite sides to a free end and adapted to be located behind the inner side of the panel, and a resilient arm on the edge of the base opposite said connecting edge, said resilient arm extending upwardly from the base to a reverse bend portion and then downwardly beyond the plane of the base to a free end portion, said panelengaging means being inset from both said resilient arm and said first arm, said legs being inset from said resilient arm and from the free end of said first arm and connecting with said base in off-center relation so as to provide an overhang between said legs and said resilient arm adapting said resilient arm to be hooked through the opening and adapting said base, said legs and said first arm to be passed through the opening, and said legs being of a length to cause the base to position aninserted nut member in adjacent spaced substantially parallel relation with the inner side of the panel when said panelengaging means bear against the outer side of the panel, said free end portion of said resilient arm being disposed in spaced opposing relation with the first arm and being cooperative therewith to receive and grip therebetween a nut member inserted through the panel opening.

3. A cage member for assembly through an opening in a supporting panel and for receiving and retaining behind the inner side of the panel a nut member thereafter inserted throughthe opening from the outer side of the panel, said cage member comprising a base, panel-engaging means spaced below the base for hearing against the outer side of the supporting panel on oppo site sides of the assembly opening, said panel- 'engaging means being disposed centrally in relation to the base so that the base will be aligned with the opening when the cage member is assembled in the opening, a pair of inclined legs supporting said panel-engaging means, said legs being of a length to cause the base to position an inserted nut member in adjacent substantially parallel relation with the inner side of the panel when said panel-engaging means bear against the outer side of the panel, said inclined legs extending downwardly from opposite sides of the base in off-center relation to the base so as to provide an overhanging edge on the base, a resilient arm on said overhanging edge, said resilient arm including a portion connecting with said overhanging edge and extending upwardly from the base to a reverse bend portion and a downwardly extending portion extending downwardly from the reverse bend portion in spaced relation to said overhanging edge to a free end portion below the plane of the base, said resilient arm being disposed to be hooked into the opening so that the base and said pair of inclined legs may be passed edgewise therethrough and then rotated relative to the plane of the panel with said free end portion of said resilient arm bearing against the inner side of the panel so HOWARD J. MURPHY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 680,609 Marquardt Aug. 13, 1901 991,447 Kennedy May 2, 1911 1,261,146 Marble Apr. 2, 1918 1,355,450 Carlson ct. 12, 1920 2,040,374 Grimes May 12, 1936 2,201,401 Jones May 21, 1940 2,283,122 Murphy May 12, 1942 

